الجمعة، 11 يناير 2013

Top 5 Bizarre Weapons of the Allies


5. Rotabuggy
A combination of a Willy MB Jeep, a rotaplane, and some creative design, the Rotabuggy was assembled by helicopter pioneer Raul Hafner. Better known as the Blitz Buggy by Hafner, it was an experimental aircraft that evolved from the other “Rota concepts” (the Rota Tank and the Rotachute). Despite looking absolutely ridiculous and almost cartoon-like, the Rotabuggy successfully went airborne, reaching gliding speeds of 45 mph in its first trial, in 1943. It flew at 65 mph for 10 minutes in 1944. It was also surprisingly sturdy, withstanding falls from 7 ft. without experiencing damage. Despite being an engineering success and deemed to be “highly satisfactory,” the Rotabuggy was overlooked and phased out by the introduction of the more sensible Waco Hadrian glider. A replica can be found in the Museum of Army Flying, in Stockbridge.
4. Earthquake Bomb
Another one of Barnes Wallis’ creations, one of these colossal 20ft monsters contains thousands of pounds of explosives. It would be dropped from modified bombers, as no other existing bombers could carry its weight. The bombs are built with a tough armoured tip and would reach supersonic speeds when dropped from 40 thousand feet high, penetrating deep underground and detonating. The shock would often create a deep crater and produce a miniature earthquake capable of destroying the infrastructure of buildings and dams. Earthquake bombs were used to destroy the V2 factories, sink the German battleship Tirpitz and destroy docked U2 boats.
3. Major Martin
Major Martin was a homeless man, who died of pneumonia and was then used as a weapon of deceit by the British in Operation Mincemeat. The body was disguised as a dead Royal Marines Officer and left to be found in the sea off the Spanish coast, with a briefcase full of top secret files chained to his wrist. When the body was brought to Madrid, those documents indicated that the Allies were preparing an invasion in Sardinia. However, this was all a trick to persuade the Germans into thinking that the Allies were going to invade Sardinia, instead of Sicily. The trick miraculously worked, and the Germans pulled thousands of troops from Sicily to defend Sardinia. Thousands of Allied troops owed their lives to the deception of Major Martin.
2. Electromagnetic Degaussing
Although it sounds like it comes straight out of a sci-fi flick, the Allies researched the degaussing of ships quite heavily during WW2. The primary goal was to render the ship undetectable, and invisible, from magnetically fused undersea mines and torpedoes. The degaussing of a ship involved the generation of a powerful electromagnetic field onboard. The Canadian and British Royal navies spent large amounts of time doing tests and research on degaussing — in fact, the conduits from the degaussing system built in the HMS Belfast in London, can still be seen today. Many people also believe the electromagnetic degaussing attempt on the USS Engstorm might have influenced the story of the famous “Philidelphia Experiment.”
1. Sawdust and Ice Carrier
The idea of an “ice ship” impressed the U.S. Army enough that the Army actually tried to build one in Patricia Lake — unsurprisingly, it melted during one hot month in the summer. However, during the process, engineers discovered the composite material pykrete, which is made from 18 percent wood dust and 82 percent water. It was far more durable and tougher than ice; better yet, it didn’t melt as quickly. The introduction of the material revived the “ice ship” idea, most notably by Geoffrey Pyke, who planned to construct an aircraft carrier out of pykrete to combat German U-Boats in the Mid-Atlantic. Somehow, Pyke convinced the Canadians to try to construct a pykrete vessel in 1944. The amount of materials necessary for the construction were 300,000 tons of wood pulp, 25,000 tons of insulation, 35,000 tons of timber and 10,000 tons of steel. This amounted to a cost of £700,000 at the time. But, due to difficulties concerning deformation and stress, the cost more than doubled to £2.5 million. This resulted in the project being terminated.

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